In a surprise briefing on Monday, Trump said 'Iran militarily is effectively over' and that Washington was 'just keeping it the status quo, and we're doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours.'

The comments came after a closed-door meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who said on social media that the two sides held 'positive discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region.'

Trump added that he saw 'momentum toward the end of this conflict' and that it would 'be ending fairly soon,' while noting renewed US attacks on Iran were 'highly unlikely.'

The tone marks a sharp change after Republican losses in last week's midterm elections, which cost the party both chambers of Congress.

According to CNBC, voters expressed frustration with soaring living costs stemming from the eight-month-old war, and Vice President JD Vance blamed the results partly on the conflict.

The war has driven a surge in fuel prices that has hit nearly every sector of the global economy since it began on February 28.

Trump acknowledged the 'status quo' would continue, including the US naval blockade against Iranian ports and the newly announced Task Force Iron Gate, which seeks to cut off trade by land and through the Caspian Sea. He framed the blockade as a question of regional security for Gulf allies.

'Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others would prefer the status quo,' he said, calling it 'the greatest naval blockade in the history of our country. Probably in the history of the world.'

According to the Associated Press, he gave no hint of a drawdown of the thousands of US troops shifted to waters off Iran, and said the US had identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, to strike if military action resumes.

Iranian officials dismissed Trump's remarks. Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei wrote that 'the war on Iran has already wrecked the US government' and urged Washington to 'stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks.'

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had called for an end to a situation he described as 'neither war nor peace,' and said Iran was open to further negotiations but would not be coerced. 'We will not surrender to force and bullying,' he said, according to Iranian media.

Iran has pushed for the US to accept seven conditions, including lifting sanctions, releasing frozen funds, recognising a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz worked out with Oman, and ending hostilities on all fronts, including Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

Qatar has served as one of the key mediators in the conflict, with Sheikh Mohammed acting as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. In Monday's meeting, he reportedly presented Trump with a two-day proposal from Iran to end the war.

Reuters, citing a senior Iranian official, reported the proposal demands the lifting of sanctions and a new shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz, and that Washington was reviewing it.

According to a diplomat briefed on the meeting who spoke to Axios, Trump told Al Thani he wanted a deal and would give talks a chance, but could reverse course if Iran does not take the negotiations seriously.

Trump said the US remains 'locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes,' even as he played down prospects of renewed strikes, telling CBS's 60 Minutes he saw no current reason to escalate.

The administration has continued limited action — AP reports US forces struck Iran's air defenses at least twice over the past week, announced 'minor strikes' on Qeshm Island, disabled a commercial ship it says breached the blockade, and offered a $20m reward for information on Iran's nuclear program.

Pressure is also mounting at home: AP reports Republican congressman Thomas Massie moved Monday to force a House vote to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over his execution of the war, with Democrats signalling willingness to take up impeachment when they control Congress from January.